Would the Toronto Raptors rather face the Celtics or Cavaliers?

In a possible conference finals matchup, who would the Toronto Raptors rather face: the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics?

Despite what the standings may indicate, the Eastern Conference is essentially a three-team race between the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the playoffs were to begin today, the Raptors would own the 1-seed, Boston the second and Cleveland the third.

Assuming everything plays out as it should, the Raptors should make the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Celtics and Cavaliers will have to battle each other in the conference semis for a chance to face them.

No player would ever admit it, but teams have a preference as to who they’d rather face if given the choice. Whether due to particular matchups, bad blood or a psychological edge, if a team were granted the opportunity, it’d love to play certain teams over others.

The Raptors won’t be granted this choice, but that doesn’t mean they can’t root for one over the other. The only question is which team would give them the best chance of advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Let’s try to figure it out.

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Boston Celtics:

The Boston Celtics have had a season filled with ups and downs.

Prized free-agent Gordon Hayward was lost for the season not six minutes into his debut, which preceded a 16-game winning streak soon after.

Mini slumps in both January and February left many questioning if the Celtics were any different from last year’s squad that reached the conference finals with Isaiah Thomas instead of Kyrie Irving.

A subsequent bounce-back has cooled the hot stove, but it’s still a mystery just how good these Celtics really are.

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Boston’s bread and butter is on the defensive end, where it ranks No. 1 in defensive rating.

Despite their inexperience, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have the length, youth and athleticism to give DeMar DeRozan all he can handle. If one gets tired, the other can sub right in.

Guards Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart are like pit bulls and will latch onto Kyle Lowry for the full 48 minutes.

Where the Raptors have the advantage is in the paint.

With the ability to guard 1-5, Al Horford brings a level of versatility that Toronto simply can’t match, but at 245 pounds, he’s not as burly as the 265-pound Jonas Valanciunas. If the Raptors can slow the pace and pound the ball inside, they can get Horford in foul trouble and take him out of the flow of the game.

The big question mark for Boston is its offense.

Kyrie Irving is playing like a superstar, but there’s nobody else that can consistently create offense for the Celtics. Horford can score in spurts, but he’s more of a facilitator who plays best while feeding off others.

Both Tatum and Brown have shown flashes of offensive capabilities, but to rely upon a 20- and 21-year-old with a Finals berth on the line is a risky play.

Similar to what teams did in last year’s postseason, the Raptors should look to cut the head off the snake, trapping Kyrie Irving and forcing the young wings to make plays — something Toronto could surely live with.

Where it gets interesting is if the other guys start to make shots, because if the game comes down to the wire, Kyrie is arguably the best closer in the game, and no opponent wants to see the game hanging in the balance with Irving on the other side.

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Cleveland Cavaliers:

The Celtics season looks like sunshine and rainbows compared to what the Cavaliers have gone through.

After one of the biggest midseason roster overhauls in NBA history, many thought the Cavaliers would break out of their shell and turn into the elite team we know them to be.

In 16 games since that trade, the results have been mixed, with impressive wins against the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder, and equally confusing losses against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.

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The new acquisitions have been playing well, with each one still trying to find their niche, but for all the flair of something new, this team still starts and ends with LeBron James.

Even in year 15, James still finds ways to amaze us, averaging a career high in both assists and rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the field.

As the games and minutes pile up, LeBron’s supercomputer brain has seen every type of defense imaginable, which makes it nearly impossible for the Raptors to throw something at him he won’t be able to dissect.

The question with LeBron will be how much his defense ramps up in the playoffs.

It’s no secret he conserves energy during the regular season, which comes directly out of the less glamorous side of the ball. If he starts to give close to 100 percent on defense, he could be matched up against DeRozan, making it all the more difficult for the four-time All-Star to get into a rhythm offensively.

The good news for Toronto is that the Cavaliers only deploy two All-Stars, and the other has had a tough time scoring against them in past postseasons.

Kevin Love may not be the type of go-to player that Kyrie Irving was, but his 3-point shooting gives LeBron another sniper to work with, and if he’s struggling from that area it makes things that much more difficult for James.

The key for the Raptors may be shutting down the Cavs’ new shooting guards.

LeBron is going to do what he does, and while Love has struggled against Toronto in the past, his inability to create for himself makes him less of a threat than his numbers would suggest.

Jordan Clarkson has settled in nicely in a sixth man role for Cleveland, averaging 13.9 points in just 23.1 minutes per game.

Rodney Hood, on the other hand, hasn’t been as successful, averaging only 9.8 points on 40.7 percent shooting. This may be in part because of his fluctuating role between starter and reserve, but his ability to hit shots is crucial.

Both Clarkson and Hood are the types of players capable of getting hot in a hurry. Let them hit a few shots and it could end up snowballing into a 30-point night.

If the Raptors are able to stomp out the sparks before they burst into flames, it puts more of the focus onto LeBron. Sure, he could probably handle the extra load, but over the course of a seven-game series, the lack of help from his supporting cast could wear him down.

Verdict:

With a defense that makes no deficit out of reach (just ask the Rockets and Warriors), along with a cold-blooded closer, the Celtics are capable of beating any team in the league. The Cavaliers have the greatest player in the world, and against these Eastern Conference teams, sometimes that’s all it takes to win.

Something that could play a factor for both teams is injuries.

Marcus Smart had surgery on his thumb, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to return in time for the playoffs. Kyrie Irving is currently nursing a sore knee that appears worse than originally thought.

Cleveland is very thin on the front line with both Larry Nance Jr. and Tristian Thompson out, while a back injury has forced Rodney Hood to miss the last two games.

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With the makeup of each roster, neither should be considered a super-team. Both offenses are heavily reliant on a singular player, and limiting their opportunities could make the difference between winning and losing.

Having said that, the Toronto Raptors haven’t fared well against the Cavaliers in the past. LeBron doesn’t seem to respect them as a formidable foe. We’ve seen what James does once the postseason rolls around. It’s not something any team can contain.

Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings

The Cavs’ roster may be different from those that eliminated Toronto the past two playoffs, but given the opportunity, it’d be wise not to mess with The King with his eyes on the prize.

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